Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024
The Lok Sabha on 6 February 2023 approved the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, which aims to prevent unfair means in public examinations and common entrance examinations conducted across the country. The Bill has provisions to deal strictly with malpractices and irregularities in government recruitment examinations, with a maximum punishment of 10 years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore.
The main objectives of the Bill are:
- The Bill aims to prevent nefarious elements from deploying solver gangs, or using impersonation methods and indulging in paper leaks.
- The Bill aims to bring greater transparency, fairness and credibility in public examination systems, as well as assure the youth that their hard work and genuine and honest efforts will not go in vain and will be rewarded, and their future is secure.
Definition of public examination
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 defines a “public examination” as any examination conducted by a “public examination authority” listed in the Schedule to the Bill or any other authority notified by the Central Government.
List of authorities in the schedule:
- Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
- Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
- Railway Recruitment Board (RRB)
- Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS).
- National Testing Agency (NTA).
- The Central Government can also add new authorities through notification. Therefore, the Bill covers examinations like Civil Services, SSC Group C and Group B, RRB Group C and D, IBPS Bank Exam, JEE Main, NEET-UG, UGC-NET, CUET etc.
Punishment under the bill
- Any person or persons resorting to unfair means and committing offenses under this Act shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than three years which may extend to five years and with fine which may extend to ten lakh rupees.
- According to the Bill, a service provider appointed by a public examination authority to conduct examinations can also be fined up to Rs 1 crore and "proportional cost of the examination will also be recovered."
Benefits of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024
- The Bill proposes a high-level National Technical Committee on Public Examinations that will make recommendations to make the computerized examination process more secure.
- The Committee will develop national standards and services for insulating digital platforms, developing foolproof IT security systems, ensuring electronic monitoring of examination centers and developing national standards and services for both IT and physical infrastructure to be deployed for the conduct of such examinations.